Filmmakers

Phill Baribeau, Director & Cinematographer

Phillip earned a degree in Media and Theatre Arts from Montana State University in 2003. Following his passion for film, storytelling and adventure, he went to work in television and documentary filmmaking. Here he learned what it takes to produce a story while capturing engaging cinematic images. His most credited broadcast series are Destination Extreme on National Geographic (field producer/DP/editor), Ax Men on the History Channel (field producer/camera operator), MeatEater on the Sportsman Channel (DP) and Mountain Men on the History Channel (camera operator). In 2008, Phillip founded Implement Productions, based in Bozeman, MT. Within Implement, he has worked on a wide range of documentary films, television, web advertisement, events and commercials. His commercial clients include Teva Footwear, Black Diamond, Federal Ammunition and Sportsman’s Warehouse. In 2013, Phillip won Best Overall Film at the Baku film festival in Azerbaijan for the short film Land of Fire. Unbranded is his first director credit for a feature length film.

Korey Kaczmarek, Cinematographer

Korey Kaczmarek is a freelance producer, videographer and editor based in Bozeman, Montana. He has circled the globe filming documentaries, television, and live events. An accomplished snowboarder, Kaczmarek fuses his athleticism and creative skills to craft dynamic, one of a kind work. After receiving his degree in Media and Theatre Arts from Montana State University, he founded Kazmatik Industries, a full-service video, digital and multimedia production company. His work has been featured on National Geographic, ESPN, Comcast Television, NBC, and the History Channel.​

Dennis Aig, Producer

Dennis Aig has produced and/or directed both documentary and dramatic productions for the Walt Disney Company, National Geographic Television, PBS, Lifetime Television, the Outside Channel, the History, Channel, and the Independent Television Service (ITVS). His projects have ranged from a documentary about bone marrow transplant patients at UCLA Medical Center to two behind-the-scenes specials about feature films directed by Robert Redford. His productions includeShadow Casting: The Making of "A River Runs Through It," Visions of Grace: Robert Redford and "The Horse Whisperer,” Guide Season, Sacred Journey of the Nez Perce, Test Pilots of the Body, America’s Outdoor Heritage, and A Shout Across Time. Aig’s works have won over 100 awards. A Ph.D. from The Ohio State University with advanced work in English and Film, Aig is also a tenured professor in and Director of the School of Film and Photography at Montana State University and the Director of its much-honored MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking. He also serves as Senior Executive Producer of the three-time Webby-winning conservation website and podcast TERRA: The Nature of Our World.

Cindy Meehl, Executive Producer

Cindy Meehl founded Cedar Creek Productions, LLC in 2008. She is the director and executive producer of the highly acclaimed documentary BUCK which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2011. There, it won the coveted Audience Award and continued to win many distinctive awards and honors, including the 2011 Oscar shortlist. In 2012, Meehl delved back into the BUCK footage to create an instructional DVD series of horsemanship called 7 Clinics with Buck Brannaman. In the fall of 2012, she directed a music video with Templeton Thompson for her song called When I Get That Pony Rode which was featured in 7 Clinics and has been featured on TV and online on major country music channels. It won a Telly Award as well as an award at the Equus Film Festival. In the summer of 2013, she came on board Dogs on the Inside as executive producer. The film is currently being distributed by Bond/360. She has just begun production on a new film in Long Island.

Meehl started work on the film Unbranded in early 2013 as executive producer and creative consultant and is thrilled to be a part of such a beautiful film!

Scott Chestnut, Editor

"I still haven't seen everything." is Scott's reply when asked what it was like to comb through 500 hours of material to create Unbranded. Scott is an editor with a long and diverse list of credits. He has served as editor and co-editor on 14 feature films, including Rounders, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, and You Kill Me, starring Ben Kingsley and Tea Leoni. His breakthrough film as an editor was John Dahl's neo-noir classic Red Rock West, starring a young Nicolas Cage. He has also edited hundreds of music videos for artists such as Madonna, Eric Clapton and U2. He has been instrumental in creating many commercials for clients such as Nike, Chrysler and Coors. His television productions have included editing and co-producing America in Primetime, a four-part documentary series for PBS, called the "best work about television on television in the last 20 years" by NPR reviewer David Bianculli. An accomplished cinematographer, Scott has worked behind the camera on several commercials and documentary projects. Recently, he was the director of photography on Rows, a dramatic feature based on Grimm's fairy tales. Scott is a native of Billings, Montana. He graduated from the film program at Montana State University and completed post-graduate work at the American Film Institute. He is known for his expert command of story elements, his keen eye for telling visual details, and his use of unconventional but extremely effective music cues.

Paul Quigley, Assistant Editor

Paul is a graduate of Montana State University with degrees in Film and Photography and Business Management. He is a 7th generation native Montana with passions for the outdoors and agriculture as well as global social justice issues. He believes film is an opportunity to articulate story, which is the thread that interconnects us all. His greatest successes are being a father and husband.

Dan Thorstad, Cinematographer

Dan Thorstad, an astounding freelance producer and cinematographer, has encompassed the globe with his drive and desire to showcase the great outdoors with millions of households worldwide. His unique passion for the outdoors, fueled by his creative edge, has led him to strive for the highest marks in the outdoor industry. Dan’s documentary television shows can be viewed on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel; he also has several recognizable national television commercials. Dan has the ability to capture Mother Nature in her rawest forms – from the scaling mountains of the Middle East, to the remote frozen tundra of the northern territories, and back to the homelands of North America. Dan’s level of expertise and obsession for adventure is what makes him a perfect fit for the documentary film, “Unbranded.”

Vanessa Naive, Production Coordinator

The only thing Vanessa Naive likes more than watching film is being the force to make those films happen. A 2013 Montana State University Film graduate, Vanessa got the opportunity to work on Unbranded as Production Coordinator two weeks after graduation through her professor and mentor, Dennis Aig. After working and learning on Unbranded for over a year, she made the big move to Los Angeles in the fall of 2014. Vanessa is currently working in the production department at AwesomenessTV, a multi channel digital network owned by Dreamworks, with over 2.2 million subscribers. She brings a piece of Montana with her to the city as she teaches OULA on a regular basis, a dance fitness class founded in Missoula, MT. Vanessa is incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work with Unbranded, as she credits that to helping jumpstart her career in the entertainment industry.

Preston Reeves,Associate Producer

Preston, the founder of RLC Pictures, is a life long comic book and movie fan. Following this passion, he graduated from the University of New Orleans and attended Goddard College's Master of Fine Arts Program. Upon graduation, he helped coordinate the Crossroads Film Festival, worked extensively with the Mississippi Film Commission, and was associate producer for Unbranded.